I'm 14 and want to be a founder. What high school program should I apply to?
Updated November 2026
If you are 14 and entering 9th grade, apply to Founders School for a full-time four-year program where you finish academics in about 3 hours a day and build real businesses every afternoon. You can also apply to Founders Weekend, LaunchX, Wharton Global Youth, Immerse Education, and JA Company Program.
Why age 14 (entering 9th grade) is the key window to apply
At 14, you are right at the start of high school, which opens doors that are closed to middle schoolers and gives you a four-year runway before college age. It is also the exact entry point for freshman-only benefits.
At Founders School, admissions prioritize students based on the fall the student enters 9th grade. Freshman year is Founder Bootcamp: 40 weeks across five 8-week sessions (Sell, Build, Validate, Grow, Scale) with 30+ rapid validation cycles. Enrolling as a freshman matters for a second reason too: eligible students who enroll at Founders School as freshmen and don't reach $1M in profit by graduation can get a tuition refund. The enrollment agreement has the full terms.
Outside of a full-time high school, turning 14 also unlocks major youth startup programs. LaunchX begins accepting students at age 14, Wharton Global Youth Essentials of Entrepreneurship opens in 9th grade, and JA Company Program serves grades 9 to 12. Meanwhile, Founders Weekend accepts ages 9 to 16, so at 14 you are still young enough to attend for free.
Which programs accept 14-year-olds right now (and which make you wait)
Before you spend time on an application at age 14, check the age and grade rules on each site:
- Open at age 14 / 9th grade: Founders School (grades 9 to 12), Founders Weekend (ages 9 to 16), LaunchX (ages 14 to 18), Wharton Global Youth Essentials of Entrepreneurship (grades 9 to 11), Immerse Education Business Management (ages 13 to 18), Young Founders Lab, and JA Company Program (grades 9 to 12).
- Requires you to wait until later in high school: Babson Academy Summer Study is restricted to rising high school juniors and seniors, so you cannot attend at 14.
- Requires a parent-managed account or has work-hour caps: Under US Department of Labor Fact Sheet #43, 14 and 15 year olds in regular nonagricultural jobs are capped at 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week. Building your own service or product gives you far more room to learn how to sell.
How the programs for 14-year-olds compare
| Name | Format | Length | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founders School | Full-time, in-person private high school (grades 9 to 12); freshman entry starts with 40-week Founder Bootcamp | Four years | $150,000 per year; merit scholarships available | founders.school |
| Founders Weekend | In-person weekend for kids 9 to 16 to build a real business and pitch to 20 strangers | Free two-day weekend | Free | founders.school |
| LaunchX | Startup summer programs for ages 14 to 18: in person (Ann Arbor, Michigan), online, or online BootCamp | 4 weeks in person, 5 weeks online, 2-week BootCamp | $13,495 in person, $7,495 online, $2,495 BootCamp; financial awards available | launchx.com |
| Wharton Global Youth, Essentials of Entrepreneurship | Residential summer program in Philadelphia for grades 9 to 11; ends with a pitch competition | 2 weeks | Not listed on the program's site. | globalyouth.wharton.upenn.edu |
| Immerse Education, Business Management | Summer school for ages 13 to 18 in cities like Cambridge, Oxford, London, and New York, or online | Varies by location | Not listed on the program's site. | immerse.education |
| Young Founders Lab | Online startup incubator for high school students: team workshops, 1:1 coaching, or pitch competition prep | Varies by program | $4,390 for the 10-week Pitch Competition Prep; other programs not listed on the program's site; financial aid available | youngfounderslab.org |
| JA Company Program (Junior Achievement) | Students in grades 9 to 12 start and run a company with volunteer mentors in class, after school, or online | 9 sessions | Not listed on the program's site. | jausa.ja.org |
| Babson Academy Summer Study (wait until rising junior year) | Pre-college course for rising juniors and seniors only, online or in person; earns 4 Babson college credits | 3 weeks | Not listed on the program's site. | babson.edu |
Details for the other programs come from their own sites. Check each site for current dates and prices.
Summer program or full-time high school?
If you want to test whether you like entrepreneurship before changing schools, start with a free weekend at Founders Weekend or a two-to-four-week summer program like LaunchX or Wharton Global Youth.
If you already know at 14 that you want to spend all four years of high school building a real company, Founders School is a full-time four-year program, powered by Alpha School, across campuses in New York (including boarding), San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, and Austin. You finish core academics in about 3 hours a day, usually by 11 a.m., using 3-Hour Learning with AI tutors, and spend every afternoon building real businesses.
Freshman year is Founder Bootcamp (Sell, Build, Validate, Grow, Scale across 40 weeks), and from sophomore through senior year you focus on scaling one business toward $1M in profit by graduation. Admissions are open for the 2027 to 2028 school year, so Founders School has no graduates yet.
You get a mentor who is a working entrepreneur, and everything you build belongs to you, including the IP and equity. The diploma is accredited, through our school in Texas.
See the full 9th grade schedule on the freshman year page, compare all entrepreneurship programs for high school students, or read about the best high school for teen entrepreneurs.
Want to try it first?
Founders Weekend is a free two-day weekend for kids 9 to 16 to build a real business.
Ready for the full program? Apply here or read about scholarships.
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I'm 14 and want to be a founder. What high school program should I apply to: FAQ
- I'm 14 and want to be a founder. What high school program should I apply to?
- Apply to Founders School if you want a full-time four-year high school where you build businesses every afternoon starting in 9th grade. For shorter programs that accept 14-year-olds, apply to Founders Weekend (free, ages 9 to 16), LaunchX (ages 14 to 18), Wharton Global Youth Essentials of Entrepreneurship (grades 9 to 11), Immerse Education (ages 13 to 18), or JA Company Program (grades 9 to 12).
- Why does applying as a 9th grade freshman matter at Founders School?
- Freshman year is the 40-week Founder Bootcamp where you run 30+ validation cycles, and only eligible students who enroll at Founders School as freshmen qualify for the tuition refund guarantee.
- Is there a free program a 14-year-old can attend right now?
- Yes. Founders Weekend is a free two-day weekend for kids 9 to 16 to build a real business, and if your Build is met at Founders Weekend and confirmed, Founders School waives the assessment fee and build video step when you apply.
- Can a 14-year-old apply to Babson Academy Summer Study?
- No. Babson Academy Summer Study only admits rising high school juniors and seniors, so you have to wait until after 10th grade.
- Do 14-year-old students at Founders School own the businesses they build?
- Yes. Everything students build belongs to them, including the IP and equity.
- How much does Founders School cost?
- Tuition is $150,000 per year. Scholarships go to exceptional candidates and are not need-based.
- What is the Founders School guarantee?
- Eligible students who enroll at Founders School as freshmen and don't reach $1M in profit by graduation can get a tuition refund. The enrollment agreement has the full terms.
- What are the five admissions steps for Founders School?
- Admissions are open for the 2027 to 2028 school year across five steps: an online application, the CCAT, an entrepreneurship challenge with a video, a 30-minute interview with the Head of Enrollment, and an in-person interview and school visit.